Sweetest Sin
by xBeautifulLetdownx
Summary: Gretchen's world is turned upside down when a certain guy stumbles back into her life. Now she must decide if being in the Plastics is really worth losing him.
1. Crush

Sweetest Sin

Disclaimer – I do not own Mean Girls. If I did, do you think I'd be writing fanfiction for it?

Author's Note: This is mainly focused on Gretchen and a new possible love interest for her. I have a good idea as to where I'm going with this, so it should move along pretty well. There will definitely be a lot of plot twists once it gets underway ;). I love feedback, so let me know what you think.

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Gretchen Wieners sat in her second period algebra two class trying to keep her eyes open long enough to take in some idea as to what the day's lesson was remotely about. Math was not her high point in her academic career at North Shore. For years she struggled to keep her grades at least on an average level in order to please her demanding parents. Adding in the fact that Jason ditched her last night for some other girl, there was little room in her mind for all of this new information. Keeping all of Regina's secrets tucked away was hard enough without boyfriend blues and graphing equations.

The bell reverberated through the room, bringing her back from her reverie. As she stood from her seat and went to gather her books, someone bumped into her, knocking her stack onto the floor. Scurrying to collect her things from the linoleum, she glanced up and gasped silently to herself.

Jake Zimmerman.

She felt her heart skip a beat as he handed her notebook back. She had a secret crush on him for years. Even in kindergarten, when they would play tag at recess and throughout elementary school when she would be placed in front of him when they lined up for the restroom or when she got to sit behind him because they were seated in alphabetical order. She remembered how silky smooth his hair always looked, and even now when she was seated so close to him she couldn't help but fight the urge to reach out and run her hand through it.

"I'm so sorry. I'm such a klutz sometimes."

Time froze as the words escaped his mouth. He was so sweet, so polite. Then the horrible realization struck. Regina wouldn't approve. Jake, to the queen bee herself, was nothing more than an expendable band geek. And Gretchen Wieners wasn't allowed to associate with him. Not if she wanted to stay in the hive.

"Thank you," was all she could muster, thinking a moment longer about her restrictions.

If only she could leave girl world just long enough to find out what it would be like to have the feel of his hair running through her fingers, of their lips clashing in a fiery passion… But she wasn't getting any such chance as long as Regina was in the picture.

Gretchen watched as Jake grinned at her, then turned and walked out the door. Ms. Norbury came up to her, looking curiously while Gretchen continued staring at the empty space in the doorway where Jake had been standing.

"You two would actually make a cute couple, you know."

Gretchen turned her stare on Ms. Norbury, feigned surprise etched across her features. "Wh…?"

"I could tell from the way you couldn't take your eyes off of him as he walked out the door and the way your cheeks keep getting redder the more I talk about it," she said, pointing out the obvious.

Gretchen looked at the ground, hoping she could escape soon and finish off the next period before heading to lunch. "I don't know…"

"The question you need to ask yourself is do you like him?" Ms. Norbury tried to look underneath the locks of hair blocking her view of Gretchen's face while she waited for an answer.

"Well… He _is_ kind of cute… And I've known him my whole life, b-"

"There you go," Ms. Norbury cut her off. "Now I think you better get off to your next class before you're late."

Gretchen smiled faintly as she pushed her way through the students entering the room.

-----

Gretchen sat her tray topped with a salad, apple, and Diet Coke onto the usual lunch table next to Cady, still thinking about her earlier collision with Jake. She wanted a plan to spend more time with him but didn't want Regina to find out. She glanced around the cafeteria, searching for any signs of Regina or Karen.

"Where is everyone?"

"Regina is still in the bathroom trying to… take care of a large something-er-other that showed up on her forehead. Karen is trying to calm her down," Cady said, looking up from her sandwich.

"Oh," Gretchen breathed, relieved that there shouldn't be a chance of Regina stumbling in before she could ask the question that was plaguing her all morning. "Hey," she said, flicking her fork through her salad, "can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything."

Gretchen paused, trying to gather the right words. "How did you get Aaron to spend more time with you without Regina finding out?"

Cady's eyes grew wide with shock. "Why do you ask?"

Just as the words left Cady's mouth, Jake walked into Gretchen's viewing area. Their gazes met and Gretchen could feel her cheeks scorch bright pink as he flashed her an award winning smile. She shied away, looking down at her hands folded in her lap, trying not to seem totally obvious.

"I see now," Cady broke the silence, having caught her friend's reaction. "You like him, don't you?"

"Regina definitely won't approve," Gretchen replied halfheartedly.

"Well, who is he?" Cady asked, sitting on the edge of her seat.

"Jake Zimmerman," Gretchen replied, holding her breath as she stole another glance at him as he sat down with the 'art freaks'. "He's in the band. He also plays soccer with Aaron, but you know how Regina is when it comes to anyone who could fit into the 'geek' category," Gretchen sighed, giving Cady a downcast look.

"In that case," Cady began, "Aaron was helping me with my calculus. I never told Regina and she never found out. Maybe there's something you two could work on after school?"

"There might be something," Gretchen said, thinking things over. She looked over her shoulder and saw a disgruntled Regina walking their way. "Promise this won't leave the two of us?" she asked, panicked.

"You've got my word."

Gretchen sat back in her seat, breathing a sigh of relief that she made some headway into a plan to get closer to Jake. Regina took her seat across from Cady just as Gretchen's thoughts drained of all but Jake.


	2. Exceptions

Sweetest Sin

Chapter Two –- Exceptions

Author's Note – I had a hard time finding the time to write this, but I finally did it! It's short, but the next one will be longer.

Thanks to my reviewers –

Wild-lotus – Hm, Damian getting a love interest… Never thought of it! I'll see if I can work that in somehow ;).

Arcadie – ITA about Gretchen in the movie – she's not really mean, just caught on Regina's leash. Ms. Norbury might become the mentor again further down the road. And Cady will play a part in helping Gretchen get her man.

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Gretchen sat on the bottom row of the stands with a grand view of the band gathering into their ranks on the football field facing her. She felt awkward being there by herself, growing almost paranoid that Regina would catch her there.

The drum majors both took either half of the field, making sure everything was set up properly for them to begin. After checking the columns to make sure everyone was lined up, they ran off to the end zones, only to run back on, jumping into a split on the fifty yard line. At the sound of a whistle, the band marched onto the field, the tune of "Bring Me To Life" drifting down to Gretchen's seat on the stands.

Gretchen sat quietly, watching intently as Jake moved efficiently through his maneuvers. Her eyes locked on him at all times, the time flew by and before she realized it they were marching off the field. The drummers played through the cadence at a lively pace, Gretchen watching Jake on his quads as her heartbeat matched the beat of his rhythm. His sticks flew with ease over the four drums as he finished the cadence and added the tag.

Gretchen jumped up from her seat, straightening out her skirt.

"I just need to drop these off in the band room and I'll be back," Jake said, walking past Gretchen.

She started walking with him, avoiding the gazes of the other curious band members. She followed him up to the school and waited at the door for him to reemerge. She was fiddling with the jewel on her silver necklace when he finally appeared back in the doorway next to her.

"Ready?"

Gretchen let a small smile slip, "You bet."

-------

After driving only a short while, they pulled into the driveway leading up to Jake's garage and came to a halt. Gretchen still couldn't believe she was _actually_ sitting in the passenger seat of Jake Zimmerman's car.

"Home, sweet, home," he said, crawling out of the driver's seat and into the fresh air.

Gretchen sucked in one last breath, gathering every sense of what it was like to be sitting in that same spot before she too climbed out of the car to join him. Looking up at the house she spent so much time in when the two of them were younger, she regretted ever ditching him in the first place just to hang out with Regina, the ultimate queen of mean.

She followed Jake into the house, more childhood memories flooding back to the surface with every familiar object. Jake led her into the living room where he proceeded to toss his coat and books onto the couch.

"Do you want a soda?"

"Diet Coke?" she requested, sitting herself down next to his coat strewn across the white couch cushion.

"You got it," he answered with a grin, and the kitchen door swung shut behind him.

------

Regina was lying back in bed, Kaltein bar in hand, staring at the ceiling tiles above her.

"Who does she think she is? How could she just _ditch_ us like that?" The words rolled off her tongue, a fire of contempt crackling through every syllable. "Where could she have gone anyway?"

The question was directed toward Cady, who immediately flashed back to the conversation she shared with Gretchen at lunch earlier that previous day. "Come to think of it, I do remember her mentioning…"

'Promise this won't leave the two of us?'

"Mentioning what?" Regina sat up, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"She had to… baby-sit for her neighbor." Cady flinched at her horrible cover story, but judging by the look on Regina's face it was good enough for now.

She didn't know this Jake guy personally, but she hoped for Gretchen's sake that he was worth running the chance of feeling Regina's terror.

-------

"So…" Jake exhaled, "what does Regina think about you being here?"

Gretchen cringed. She feared the moment he would bring up the issue of her queen bee. "She doesn't exactly know I'm here. Which I'm sure I'll pay for later if she finds out," she breathed, reaching for her glass of soda.

"That's what I thought. I guess that makes me off limits."

"We can still hang out like this. As long as Regina doesn't find out," she added, looking Jake in the eyes. She subconsciously drifted off, admiring his best features as every word he said floated through one ear and out the other.

Those beautiful hazel eyes. Those muscles slightly visible through his tight fitting white Nike shirt. That disheveled looking hair that would most definitely feel like heaven as it runs between her fingers. And, God, those luscious lips; what she wouldn't do just to get a taste of them… All of which being the sugar coating on a very delicious piece of forbidden fruit.

"Yoo-hoo!" Jake leaned closer, having noticed that she had not blinked in three minutes.

"What…" she managed, returning from fantasy world.

"Maybe we should get back to the homework," Jake suggested.

Gretchen simply nodded, toying with her pencil as she forced herself to tear her eyes from him and return to chapter three in her algebra book.

'What am I doing?! I have a boyfriend, I shouldn't be daydreaming about some other guy. Granted he is_ better daydream material than Jason could ever hope to be… NO! Jake is off limits, and that's that.'_

is 

Jason may be a jerk at times, but she was better than that. She would never even _think_ of cheating on her boyfriend.

But this time there may be an exception...


	3. Betrayal

**Sweetest Sin –** Chapter Three  
**Disclaimer –** I don't own any of the 'Mean Girls' characters. Only the original characters belong to me.  
**Author's Note –** This chapter is more or less the springboard that gets the story moving. Although I have to warn you, Jason may come off as out of character, depending on the way you look at what happens here. You'll read soon ;).Thanks to my reviewers:

**SUmMeRiTh –** We both love Gretchen! Your opinion about Jason may change after you read this, though. I'm glad you're enjoying this. Thanks for the review!

**godlfish demon –** Thanks!

**Arcadie -** The one thing I didn't like about Jason was how he took Gretchen for granted (thus, Jake is created ;). I know if I were her I'd ditch Jason for Jake anyday, hehe. Thanks for reviewing!

**GiGgLyGaL –** I wish there were more 'Mean Girls' fics too. Glad you like this!

**R1za-cam1le –** Thanks for the review! I always thought a Plastic loving someone "forbidden" would be cool. I'm a band geek too, so I guess I can join the club, haha.

**Wild-lotus –** Thanks! The next update should be soon, so I won't keep you waiting for long ;).

* * *

The bell resounded in the nearly deserted hall excusing the students from another long day of cramming useless knowledge into their uninterested minds. 

Gretchen walked out of the science lab and scanned the crowd for a sign of Jake standing nearby. He waved to her from the water fountain, welcoming her over.

She took nearly two steps when Jason took her by the arm and smiled. "Hey, where do you think you're going?"

Gretchen feigned a smile, "I was just, uh… walking to the parking lot." She threw a look at Jake that warned him to get out of the area.

"It's been so long since we've been able to talk," Jason said. "What do you say we go somewhere _private_ and catch up?"

"Why not," Gretchen grudgingly agreed, allowing Jason to hold her hand. She looked over her shoulder toward the fountain, where Jake gave her a tried grin before walking in the opposite direction.

Jason led her to the projection room above the auditorium – the room that seemed to see the most action at North Shore. Gretchen knew what he was expecting from her, but she wasn't in the mood to be wasting her time with him when she could be spending it with Jake.

Jason shut the door behind him, quickly getting down to business as he pulled her in for a kiss. His actions were nowhere near as gentle or caring as Jake's, she noted, flinching under his touch. It obviously didn't go unnoticed.

Jason broke away, looking confused. "Okay, I give up. What's the matter?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to play dumb, hoping he would buy her act of innocence.

"You've been acting really distant lately," he stated. "I'd just like to know why so maybe I can help."

"There's nothing wrong. Really," she said firmly.

"I think I've figured it out."

Gretchen's breath caught in her throat.

"You're scamming me behind my back, aren't you?" he finished.

Gretchen immediately thought of Jake, but nothing ever happened between them. As much as she hoped it would, she remained loyal to Jason. "No, Jason, honestly. I would never do that to you!"

"Really?" he quipped. "Then how do you explain the other night when I stopped by your house?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she denied.

"Oh, I think you do. I saw his car in your driveway."

Gretchen's expression fell. Jake was simply dropping her off that night. Jason was blowing it way out of proportion with the few facts he had.

"All you have to do is own up to it. Tell me the truth," he continued.

"I'm telling you, nothing is going on with me!" Gretchen insisted.

"Don't lie to me!" Jason fumed.

"Wait, shouldn't _I_ be the one who worries here? After all, you and Taylor Wydell have been hanging out a lot recently," Gretchen pointed out, much to Jason's dismay.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he said quietly, clenching a fist in his increasing anger.

"We saw you two in the mall last week! The two of you were so close you were almost joined at the hip. It sure as hell didn't look like _'just friends'_ to me!" Gretchen spat, letting her penned up emotions roar.

"You have it all wrong!" Jason advanced on her, backing her closer to the corner.

"I thought I could trust you, Jason! Not watch while you practically hump Taylor's leg by the fountain. My God, you're such a –."

Jason's temper flared and before she could react he slapped her, leaving a stinging red imprint on her cheek.

Gretchen placed a hand over the throbbing welt on her cheek, cowering into the corner while she watched in horror as Jason tried to calm himself down. The sense of betrayal rose in her, crouched against the wall, not daring to make another move for fear of setting him off again.

Jason staggered backwards; staring at the hand that doubled as a weapon. He didn't know what came over him, what possessed him to lay a hand on her. He couldn't bear to look at her, instead running out the door, letting it slowly swing shut behind him.

Once alone in the darkened room, Gretchen carefully rose to her feet and leaned against the wall. Gathering her courage she walked to her Jeep, keeping a close on her surroundings and watching for Jason to pop out of every curve. She drove to the only place she knew she could, the one person she knew she could tell this to in confidence.

* * *

She pulled along the street in front of the Heron house. She grabbed her purse next to her seat and fumbled through it looking for her compact. The stinging still hadn't resided, a not-so-subtle lesson learned. 

She knew better than to feed fuel to a six foot tall fire but she wasn't about to stand around and let him accuse her of jumping beds behind his back, even if she _did_ have slightly romantic thoughts about Jake.

The left side of her face was swollen and painted a beat red. It was going to be hard to cover this up. She folded her compact up and dropped it back to her purse. Climbing out of the car, she felt herself trembling. She didn't know how she was going to do it, but she had to talk to someone about this, and Cady was her best bet seeing as how she already knew about the situation with Jake.

Walking to the front door, a million thoughts were racing through her mind. She hesitated when she reached the door, almost turned around and walked right back to the car to drive off. She decided to face the challenge, despite the nagging nervousness welling up in the pit of her stomach.

Closing her eyes, she knocked on the hardwood door and waited. The seconds droned on before the door finally swung open revealing Cady's father, newspaper in hand, standing in the doorway.

"Can I help you?"

"Is Cady here? It's an emergency, I _really_ need to talk to her," Gretchen's voice trembled with the rest of her body.

"She's in her room. Come on in," Mr. Heron ushered her inside, pushing the door shut behind her and walking to the stairs.

Cady heard her father call for her from the bottom of the stairs. She went to the origin of his voice and found a stirred up Gretchen chewing her nails, looking like a train wreck waiting to happen.

Gretchen spotted Cady when she reached the bottom of the stairs, "Cady, thank God! I need you right now."

"What's going on?"

"Can we do this in… private," Gretchen asked, the tears beginning to dam up behind her crumbling façade as she glanced to the next room where Cady's dad settled down to continue reading the newspaper.

"Follow me," Cady said and led the way to her bedroom.

Gretchen sat on the end of the bed, the brick wall she was spinning out of control towards looming closer every second. Cady sat next to her, obviously worried about what was troubling her newfound friend.

She noticed the bright red mark on Gretchen's cheek and the worry took over. "What happened to you?" she asked sympathetically, reaching out to touch the redness.

Gretchen flinched, the soreness of the memory hurt almost as much, if not more, than the actual wound itself. "It's Jason," she began, taking it slow so she wouldn't overwhelm herself and breakdown completely.

"Did he do this to you?" Cady asked, the typical best friend defensiveness kicking in.

The dam broke and the tears blazed a trail down her face, over the swollen welt. No words were needed as Cady offered a shoulder to cry on.

"He accused me of sleeping around," Gretchen managed between sobs.

"How could he think that? You've always been loyal to him," Cady responded.

"That's what I told him but it only made him more upset," Gretchen closed her eyes, reliving the frightful moment. "I brought up Taylor Wydell and it drove him over the edge. That's when he…" Gretchen's body wracked as she buried her face in Cady's embrace.

"Everything will be fine, trust me," Cady tried to comfort her.

"Please, just keep this between the two of us?" Gretchen pleaded.

"I won't tell a soul," Cady agreed, locking the secret up and throwing away the key.


	4. Anxiety

**Sweetest Sin –** Chapter Four  
**Disclaimer –** With the exception of Jake, I don't own them. Lucky me, huh? ;)  
**Author's Note –** Now that school is out I can update a lot faster. _Lots_ of Jake/Gretchen action here. Hope you all enjoy!

**Thanks to my reviewers:**

**SUmMeRiTh –** Thanks! And Jake will more than make up for what Jason did, no worries there ;).

**Norma Jean the Dancing Machine – **First off, I _love_ your pen name! Jake is so hot – to me, he's a Justin Bruening/Jensen Ackles type, but that's just me ;). You'll like the end of this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!

**Wild-lotus –** A lot of drama for 3 chapters? Tip of the iceberg, honey ;). It's only going to get better and more intense as it progresses. Thanks for the review!

**Arcadie –** Consider Jason dropped ;). There's a little more of Gretchen and Cady's friendship in this chapter. Cady will be like Gretchen's right hand gal throughout the story. More things from the movie will show up in future chapters as well. Thanks for the review!

* * *

Gretchen looked one last time into the mirror, frowning at the unflattering black and blue mark stained on the left side of her face. A constant reminder of why she would be much better off without Jason in her life. 

The makeup she used to try and conceal the mark didn't successfully hide it from prying eyes but if she wanted to see Jake tonight she would have to settle with it. She grabbed her keys and pushed a curl of hair behind her ear before walking outside and taking a breath of fresh air.

She gasped when she saw a figure standing in her front lawn, arms crossed and leaning against an oak tree. She was more surprised when, by taking a closer look she realized it was Jason. He came closer to the front porch where Gretchen was standing, bringing with him an air of unpleasantness.

"What do you want?" she asked, a bit of hostility entangled with her voice.

"I only want to talk," Jason replied.

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say," she brushed past him, heading for her car.

Gretchen clutched her jacket closer to her body in an attempt to ward off the chilled October air. Jason's presence was anything but comforting after the previous night, when he showed his true, hideous colors.

Seeing that the cold was getting to her, Jason wrapped his arm around her shoulders, which was awkwardly shrugged off. His touch no longer sent the sparks through her skin as it had before. Her pace quickened as her Jeep came into view in her driveway.

"Gretchen, wait!" Jason ran up behind and grabbed her arm, a signal to stop.

Gretchen jerked herself away from him, recoiling from his touch as if it burned into her skin.

"Just leave me alone," she said in a hushed tone, shooting a warning into his eyes.

"Fine," he threw his hands up in defeat. "You'll regret this."

With one last look he turned his back and stalked off to his own car. Gretchen shuddered from the lingering feeling of his hand forcefully grabbing her.

* * *

Gretchen seated herself among the local football fans and her fellow classmates, conveniently in the perfect position to steal a few glances of Jake throughout the game. 

"Look what we've got here," a familiar voice startled her.

Gretchen whipped her head around to see Regina, Karen, and Cady looming above her. "Have a seat," she offered.

Cady scooted next to Gretchen, whispering low enough that Regina wouldn't overhear, "Did you get a chance to talk to him yet?"

"Not yet," Gretchen sighed, her gaze moving down the stands to Jake sitting behind his drums, "but I want to find a way to meet him after halftime." She watched longingly as Jake made way for the concession stand.

"Look, now's your chance! Just go, I'll keep Regina occupied," Cady urged.

Gretchen took the opportunity to have a quick word with her only interest, rushing down the stands to reach him.

Jake was almost thrown off balance, taken by surprise when Gretchen tugged on his uniform. "What's up?" he asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

"I don't have long before Regina notices I'm gone," Gretchen replied, glancing over her shoulder at Cady firing up a conversation with Regina where she had just been sitting. "Can you meet me under the stands after halftime?"

"Sure, but," he looked toward the stands where the one woman who could quite possibly be his worst nightmare was seated with her minions, "how do you plan on meeting me while Regina has you under constant surveillance?"

"I haven't really thought this out yet," she bit her nail, knowing she had to find a way to pull this off.

* * *

Gretchen's chin drifted to her hand, anxiously waiting for the five minutes on the timer to drain away. She could not help but grin when Jason was tackled to the ground by one of the opposing team's larger players. 

Three minutes, thirty seconds.

Her foot began to tap against the cold metal of the stands, the metallic clinking meshing with the cheers of the fans surrounding her.

One minute, fifteen seconds.

The home team miraculously ran in a last minute touchdown to end the first half. She sat up straight, her eyes scanning the crowd of uniforms lining up on the opposite end of the field for Jake.

Her gaze didn't release him the entire time he was on the field running through their routine. Halftime buzzed by and Gretchen could feel the anxiety rushing through her veins. It was time. She didn't know what she was going to say, but she knew she had to see him.

She watched him move through the crowd and duck behind the stands before she slipped away from her Plastic counterparts. Fighting her way through the vast amount of people in line for the concession stand she followed Jake behind the stands.

Just seeing him standing there, a thin band of sweat lining his forehead from his workout on the field, was enough to calm her nerves. He always seemed to have this effect on her when she was close to him.

"What's so important?" he asked as she came closer.

"There's something I _really_ need to get off my mind."

"I'm all ears," he grinned.

Gretchen took a moment to gather her thoughts. "It's about Jason."

Jake's grin faded away with the worry in her voice. In the dim light casting shadows under the stands, he noticed the bruise on her cheek. "What happened to you?" he asked, concerned, as he reached out to gently caress the tender skin. "Did Jason do this to you?"

"Well…," she paused, "he got upset and thought I was cheating on him because he saw your car in my driveway last week."

"That doesn't give him the right to lay a hand on you!" Jake fumed. "And besides, there's nothing going on between us."

_'Unfortunately,'_ Gretchen thought to herself.

"That's what I told him," she answered. "He didn't believe me." She tried to fight back the tears welling up in her eyes.

Jake stepped closer, pulling her into a hug. She gratefully leaned her head on his chest, the fabric of his uniform soft against her skin. She let out a quiet sob as Jake's hand rubbed her back, his actions numbing the pain inflicted by Jason.

'Just tell him! Tell him you're interested in him, that you can't get him off your mind, that you've been having romantic thoughts about the two ofus together.'

She felt so at home in his arms that she never wanted to leave. When he backed out of their embrace, wiping a tear from her eye before it could trail down her cheek, she let out a sigh.

"I should probably get back out there," Jake said quietly.

"Wait!" she blurted out, though not sure what she needed to tell him.

"What is it?"

Acting on impulse, she wrapped her hands around his neck and placed her lips on his. A sensation unlike any she had ever felt before rushed through her senses. He stood in awe before he kissed her back, much to her delight.

She pushed herself into his body, never wanting this feeling to end. She tingled with bliss, her lips lingering on his before she ruefully pulled back, the sweet taste of his lips driving her up the wall. She didn't know what came over her but she didn't regret her course of action.

Without a word she hurriedly ran off, lost in the colossal throng of people just beyond the stands, leaving a dumbfounded Jake staring into the distance where she disappeared.


End file.
